H.R. 2890 · 108th Congress
Freedom to Fish Act
- Stage
- In committee
- Sponsor
- Jim Saxton
- Introduced
- 2003-07-24
- Latest action
- 2003-07-27 · Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans.
Summary
Freedom to Fish Act - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to prohibit any fishery management plan prepared by a Regional Fishery Management Council or the Secretary of Commerce from establishing areas closed to recreational fishing unless: (1) there is a clear indication that recreational fishermen are the cause of a specific conservation problem and that less severe conservation measures will not adequately provide for conservation and management of the affected stocks of fish; (2) the closed area regulation includes specific measurable criteria to determine the conservation benefit of the closed area on such fish and provides a timetable for periodic review of the continued need for the closed area; (3) the closed area is no larger than that which is supported by the best available scientific information; or (4) provision is made to reopen the closed area to recreational fishing whenever any such condition that was the basis of the closure no longer exists.